SUSPENDED OFFICERS DON'T CRY: The Aftermath

So the corrupt officer who was apparently asking for too much got caught eventually and..... hang on, you do know how it happened right??

No.... well take a look at the previous post 

Moving on so by now you know that a corrupt officer Mr X was caught in a trap set by the Anti-Corruption department because he didn't stipulate to the previously agreed bribe amount and tried to extract more.

Anyway, people say that Mr.X was crying like a baby in front of the team and was then taken to custody immediately. He didn't make bail the very next day and it was imperative that he made bail in the next 72 hours because according to the Civil Service rules of the state, that officer automatically gets terminated if he/she spends 3 or more nights in jail. So eventually the case was filed, he got terminated as he couldn't make bail and suddenly we saw Mr.X in a whole world of mess.

At this point some of you might feel, "he had it coming" and "more power to the anti corruption department",but please hold on to your horses. In India the judiciary has a peculiar motto "Innocent until proven guilty", the idea behind it is that its better to let go 10 perpetrators than punish an innocent bloke. This is not technically and entirely justifiable but when you put into perspective the massive population of the country where there are an entire plethora of broken laws and crimes being committed than this ideology may not eliminate all the bad apples but won't hurt the good ones too.

So the court proceedings started in the District Sessions court where Mr.X got a fancy advocate because ....why not. The Anti corruption team had the evidences and the witnesses, including the contractor who Mr. X tried to fleece (read the  previous post ).

so all in all a solid front was put forward with all the witness corroborating the chain of events leading to Mr. X's indictment. Mr.X had realised that things don't seem that bright for him , so as soon as the District Sessions court ruled it against him, he was quick in action to get a stay on his sentence. So the law clock was reset and all these things have to be presented against in front of the High Court.

At this point one needs to understand that how the convoluted pattern of the law favored the alleged and it took almost 2 years for the District Sessions Court to hold him accountable which had given Mr.X the opportunity to gauge the direction of the judgement and take a pre-emptive action by getting a stay order. Although X is not out of the woods yet but he is getting enough leeway to fight for another day and in the judicial world , one day means more than just a day.

PC(Google Images)

So by this time Mr.X has had his resources drained by a considerable amount with no hopes of getting his name cleared as of now. But he has one advantage over the Anti Corruption department,yes I said advantage. The terminated Mr.X has literally no skills, talents or the fortitude to succeed anywhere else through sheer qualifications hence a government job is his only known abode. So for him getting reinstated is not just a matter of pride and dignity but a matter of life and death. No matter how evil of a government officer he is, he still holds responsibility of a father and a husband so for him there is just no other option but to fight till the end whereas the Anti Corruption department is doing a menial daily job and the witnesses have better things to do then go through the ordeal for testifying against a culprit twice.

So the High Court proceedings started and by this timne Mr.X had mended his way with the contractor(the prime witness), the Anti-Corruption department and his parent department as well. The proceedings were stretched at first, but ultimately the delay was going to drain his hard-bribe-earned money incessantly. Eventually the case ultimately grew weak because with time it had to, and the high court gave the judgement this time in favour of Mr.X to get reinstated.

At this point you might be thinking that how could our justice system let such a simple, open and shut case get completely overturned letting a corrupt officer, caught red-handed simply walk away. Well trust me this is absolutely true and some seasoned government officials could vouch for the fact that this incoming-outgoing is a part of being an officer.

PC( Google Images)

Now you must be wondering that with the High Court order in his hand  everything is back to normal. Mr.X thought so too, he was elated with the judgement and informed everyone in our department that he's going to be back soon. However there was one last twist in this story, just because you have a High Court order doesn't mean that the Government would take swift and necessary action to reinstate you and pay you back. No, because the people who would carry out the formality of putting up a letter, getting it signed by the higher officials and then type a whole new order for you , are actually just like Mr.X; the only difference being , they haven't been touched till now.

The excitement and happiness which Mr.X had, could be seen draining away with each of his failed visit. The staff at the ministry were quite blatantly ignoring him and telling him to come back later. Mr.X knew the drill so offered a hefty sum for their efforts, but sometimes people just like to watch you squeal don't they. Its just the sweetest desires of every person to see someone implore and beg for something ,who they think totally deserve it. Meanwhile the people from our department were teasing him that, maybe the High Court order had a spelling mistake or you took it the wrong department. Its ok to feel for Mr.X a bit, after all in the eyes of the law he was an innocent citizen who deserved his seat back. One fine day Mr.X went to the clerk at the ministry and straight up asked him if he was going to get his job done or not, the clerk again tried procrastinating and on hearing it he opened the office's window and was about to jump from the 6th floor of the building. He announced to the entire staff that this clerk is to be held responsible for everything that happens from now on, and.... it worked. People rushed to get him off the window and calmed him down. Offered him some water and then later that day Mr.X was given the coveted order he so vehemently desired.
That I believe was the most apt punishment which Mr.X desired, not to undermine the 4-5 years of the legal tussle but there is something about the finish line in sight. It just hurts too much to lose so much over so little.

So anyway last year Mr.X finally got reinstated and fortunately I was present at the Head office at that time. I saw a calm, shy and soft spoken man grinning at times who was just happy, finally. For a moment I thought that maybe justice was served finally and that a responsible and honest officer came out of the end of all this.

Three days later he was back at his usual tone and wit, demanded a transfer to a district of his choice and the contractors are complaining to the head office that Mr.X is trying to extract every penny worth of his ordeal which he so fittingly deserved. 

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SUSPENDED OFFICERS DON'T CRY

One of the perks of being in a Government job is the Stability factor. Basically it means that you might be asked questions regarding your incompetence but you will never be held accountable for your inefficiency, laziness or the fact that you simply don't care about the coveted government job you fought tooth and nail for. The idea is to prevail a sense of security among the officers so that they don't tremble in fear in implementing the policies laid down by the government, however as most things do in India, the Cobra effect gets activated when any policy is laid down by the lawmakers for prevention of any mishaps. 

But all is not that bad, there are anti-corruption laws and regulations which may exact severe penalties and punishments if found guilty. Although you might think that the judiciary itself gets walked by a snail in terms of pace, there is some truth to the fact that the Anti-Corruption departments do trap a lot of these bad apples which get media coverage as well, in order to set an example.

I am here to take you through one such case that took place in our department which actually tells a lot about the aftermath of asserting charges on a Government officer. This particular officer ,let him be X had a knack for being upfront in his dealings. X didn't care nor dreaded anyone despite not being that high in ranks.It was X's strong understanding that the job is permanent in nature hence the worst outcome of these "under the table" dealings, which were not that under the table, might get publicized at the most and X was right. There were hardly any people who ever got trapped in any corruption cases in the department got suspended at the most where you get almost 50% salary and if the Department finds nothing in order to charge you(which they don't) then you get reinstated after a few months;plus you get the backpay.

PC- hydnews.net

So X had no reason to worry logically and his insubordination put into the mix made him virtually untouchable. This was not only known to the people within the department but also to the contractors who had to go through X for their pertinent work.

All this was going fine, X had new cars, land, flats and everything else which added more vitriol to his dealings with everyone whether it was personal or professional. Now the thing with getting caught in a corruption case is that everybody is fine as long as you take the tacitly agreed price of your conscience and even the Anti-Corruption people know that, the problem arises when you suddenly start asking for an astronomical figure and start moving the goal post further. The normal "rate" is fixed , depending on your stature and the historical rhythm set by the "has-beens", but if somebody, like in our case X,tries to disrupt the established order then its bound to turn some watchful eyes your way.

X got a bit greedy and had started asking for a larger sum than usual for a simple signature on a file. This triggered unrest among the people who then went to the superior officers of the department, but X didn't care, he thought that if even one person got their way with him at a lower price then nobody would care about his authority(as a corrupt officer) and he cared a lot about his nefarious reputation.

So one such guy who had some influence over the department and was a seasoned contractor came to X for a mere approval. X saw that as an opportunity to send out a message and upgrade his earnings now that even the big players are kneeling before him. So X asked for a lot and eventually got a lot, but then at the stipulated date of approving their file, X wanted even more. There was a heated debate after which X threw the file in the garbage. The contractor didn't even think twice and went straight to the Anti-Corruption department, where they always do the suspect a favor by informing the highest officials first but X was undeserving of any forecast for the upcoming storm.

PC(Indiatoday.in)

So eventually the Anti-Corruption team laid out a trap where they sent the same contractor back to X , readily agreeing to all of X's demands. A quiet and desolated location is picked where both parties are scheduled to meet for exchanging the cash amount. However the cash is laid with a chemical (Phenolphthalein if I'm not wrong) and the serial number of the notes are already with the team. Then they install a small camera at an unsuspecting location where this entire scene could be captured and when the exchange is made then the teams simply come out of the dark to handcuff the perpetrator and is asked to  wash hands with soap which turns red due to the chemical reaction,hence the term red-handed. 

People react differently in these scenarios, some start crying incessantly whereas some try to settle matters then and there by offering some to the Anti-Corruption teams. Overall when you're caught, you're caught and there is hardly anything that can be done there, some media people come in and capture the moments to put everything in public record. At this point you might feel that story ends here, the deserving officer got what was imminent and now the course of law will decide the magnitude of the punishment. But trust me this is not even the interesting part of the story, the normal people believe that justice has been served that the country is devoid of one corrupt officer at least, however the story begins from here but this post is becoming too long and cumbersome. 

Do checkout the aftermath in my next one........

Do comment and follow for more insights of being a Government officer and other rants. Here's a link to my other entries-

The Confidential Report of the officers

The Election Duty

The New Culture of Godmen

A Prayer for Christchurch

History sheeter

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THE HISTORY-SHEETER

The familiar taste of the putrid water being distributed in the cells even when the purifier is right next to the main gate, the screams of the neighboring interrogation room where “information is being extracted” and the sobbing ladies imploring the constables for any leads regarding their loved ones while they’re being dragged out of the station; all of this seems banal and gloomy to me. Its hard to understand that how everyday this same scene gets acted upon on a loop and society expects to be safe and free from any crimes.

Me on the other hand , I am not in the Police, nor am I a criminal, atleast not as of now. I haven’t lost anything or anyone nor do I have any information regarding the many incidents that take place everyday. I am just a History-Sheeter , an idiot who got locked up once for relieving some poor old bastard of his wallet. To be honest there was hardly anything to be cherished in that waste of cheap leather , but apparently it was that loser’s everything. He even overstated the amount he had in his complaint , it was only when I got caught a week later that I gave the exact details of the 400 rupees and some loose change he was carrying. Well it was my first attempt so can’t expect the crown jewels but I still abhor him and the fact that he gets to call himself the victim in all this. They say “honor among thieves” , what about this moron , trying to milk the petty thief like me.

Silent it may seem but its quite deafening if you're at the receiving end(PC- returnofkings )

Anyway since then, irrespective of the magnitude of the incident I get simply lifted off the streets like garbage and get thrown into one of these demonic cells. Later somebody will come and skin me and the others with a belt or bare hands(depending upon his mood). 

It isn't always the case but it does come to mind (PC milligazette )

I am actually a Punter ,whatever that is and I am supposed to carry information of anything that happens in my locality because apparently I have a large circle of similar petty thieves and pick pockets. So me being locked up in the cells hardly ever helps the police in catching anyone but its just a standard procedure to soothe and calm the senior officers who prefer visible progress over actual progress in a case. I provide a genuine sense of security to the ones who are in-charge of everyone’s security. These uniformed personnel do strut around but I get to see the part when they are pressurized and treated in the same manner society treats us. I am a necessary and benign evil to vent out their desperations, frustrations, failures. In a way I am their Avengers who saves the day everytime they are down and dusted because despite having all the knights and the horses they get to be vulnerable and humane by being inhuman to me. 


What do you think guys, I will keep creating more relatable and practical content which I come across as part of my job. Do checkout my other posts as well-

The Election Duty

The New Culture of Godmen

A Prayer for Christchurch

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The Election Duty-2019

The first phase of the Festival of Democracy 2019 concluded yesterday and with it as they say the kismet of the candidates. The candidates, the bright hoardings, the rallies, the issues, the people, the EVM and the inedible ink selfies hog the spotlight in this entire set of affairs. Who said/did what, who voted for whom become the cynosure of all and it should be ; unless you do understand what its like being an election official. This was my first time being one and it did nothing to spark the love of democracy for me, but everything to admire the sheer volumes of those millions of worker bees who are directed to take time off their usual assignments. Its already impossible for us fellow Indians to queue up for anything , let alone for some wild rush of pressing a button in the sweltering heat, but what is even more perplexing is getting those slothful babus to get out of the comfort of their chair and homes for enabling the common man to decide their fate, sort of.

I was appointed as the Sector Officer(or Zonal Officer) and had 13 polling booths under me. The District Collector office had conducted a slurry of training sessions, Q&A and workshops for equipping the concerned officers with proper technical know-how for the machines and the overall procedures governing the smooth conduct of the polls. However it all comes down to the Pre poll day when amongst  the huge rubble of government you actually meet the polling parties, all smiles and jokes from the outside discussing about the arduous journey they took to be here surreptitiously suggesting the innate disagreement they all carry within to this unconventional yet indispensable workload that has befallen over them. They are teachers, accountants, officers, clerks, doctors, engineers, professors rarely known to each other but its that duty order that unites them together. It is important to know that election duty is a non-optional convention which unless you can get away with some “justifiable” reason, could get you suspended almost instantly for the slightest of errors.

So even after knowing the stakes, the election training starts which is actually sitting in a giant hall and listening to the Do’s and Dont’s as patiently as you can but most of the people rely on their past experiences on these things and only come in to avoid a show cause notice. Its total mayhem on the day before polling , as people come in from almost everywhere around the city with their bags. As a sector officer you come to know your polling parties only the eve before election and help them on their way to the respective assigned Polling booths. Now these polling booths are not the most well maintained premises, mostly they are municipality schools, storage centres, colleges and/or community halls, so not the best of the facilities are expected. No matter what designation you have, its heartening to know that you can’t leave the premises even for a walk or some refreshments and that you have to sleep on the bare floor unless you got some bedding of your own.

The E-day is when it all turns real, you get to wake up early in the morning and start a mock poll, and by 7’o clock your voting actually begins where people start lining up and although are willing to exercise their votes, may fall short in identification or missing their name in the voters list altogether. But as a Polling officer- The show must go on. Then come the enthusiastic political goons, who just need to garner attention at any cost, and its for people like these the Presiding Officers have been given unlimited powers and police force at their disposal so that they could drive away any and all creating a scene. Some people do complaint about the machines because it’s a trend but take it from me who had commissioned the machines, its highly improbable to get an EVM that works in favor of some candidate, although there might be some battery or other technical issues for which the arrangements are in place already. I myself had changed an EVM during mockpoll because the VVPAT machine was running on a faulty battery but that’s almost it.  

Meanwhile it’s the middle of the day and we see a drop in the voter turnout as people are busy doing their household chores and its at this point that the polling parties get a breather where they could have some food and mental rest.

The final hour is again the most crowded part of the day when people come in flocks but now the polling parties are exhausted and grow a little restless. Anyway as the duration of the poll ends there lies another arduous challenge of the statutory and non-statutory paperwork that has to be meticulous as it determines the success and failure of the polling station in your booth. The demand to be correct and the need to be quick sometime cause unexpected blunders resulting in suspension of officers but still a majority of the people do it diligently and report back to the headquarters in the evening or night. Its at this place where they really lose their minds, they have been working exorbitantly hard and now its just a formality of submitting the machines and the literature back to some other government employees, who they expect to  be empathetic to the taxing task they had just completed. But truth be told, it is at this point people complaint about the mismanagement of authorities out of tiredness and disgust. After all is said and done, people do leave for their homes, although there is always that lingering doubt that everything checks out properly and that is the story of the election from an official’s perspective. I might not have the exact figures but in my personal experience the government officials involved in making the biggest democracy work in just a single day, themselves rarely vote. I think its but natural to get jaded of the entire process however they still enabled millions of their fellow beings exercise their right to vote and that’s the point. The people who actually make this festival of democracy a palpable reality are the ones who sacrifice a lot and the only thing they expect in return is their job they have been doing in the first place.

What do you think guys, I will keep creating more relatable and practical content which I come across as part of my job. Do checkout my other posts as well-

The new Culture of Godmen

A Prayer for Christchurch

History sheeter

Read More